My 2c:

SGP is a sport designed to be exciting to watch. It is designed for spectators, not for participants. Well, it is designed for participants who want the fame of winning something in front of a lot of spectators, but it is not designed to be a wide-participation version of the sport, or for participants to enjoy cross country soaring. As such, it is quite sensible that SGP have a lot more crashes. Car racing is designed for spectators and crashes are part of the attraction. Professional hockey is designed for spectators, who like the occasional fight.

Regular soaring contests are designed primarily for the enjoyment of the participants, especially at the national level. You gain only the respect of your peers for a few months if you win. It is designed for participants to enjoy soaring, and not just a highly tactical game that happens to involve gliders. A wide participant sport properly has a much greater emphasis on safety.

John Cochrane